The meeting, devoted to the International Opening of the Club

Ladies and Gentlemen!Dear Fellow-Lions!Dear friends!

Today we are having the first and the most memorial event of our half-a-year history of our club. Last May we were recognized by the Lions International. We had our Charter night on the 28th of June.It is a distinct privilege for me as a president of the "Kaliningrad-Central" Lions Club to greet all of you here. I declare with a great pleasure that our club has been developing with success and a good number of the participants and guests I'm watching here is a proof of my declaration.

District Governor, permit me to express once again my deep gratitude upon officially having become members of the great family of the International Association of Lions Clubs!

We are told that Lionism is a great movement that is by far the largest and the most active service club organization in the world, and a Lions club's membership should be composed citizens who are deeply and actively concerned about there community. We realize that our club is one of more than 40.000 Lions clubs in approximately 180 countries and areas, with more than 1.4 million members. We fully understand that a Lions club should be composed of sincere, service-minded people who are willing to give a prominent part of their time and talent to help people in need and to make their community a better place in which to live.

Our global association's motto is "We serve", and as a new member of Lions Clubs International, we should strive to make it the guiding spirit of our club as well.I assure we will do everything in our power to exemplify noble ideas of Lionism as we strive to promote the well-being of our community and answer the needs of less fortune men, women and children; people who truly need the active concern a Lions club can provide.

Furthermore, we intend to not only work closely among ourselves, but also to cooperate with other groups in our community. We will demonstrate the meaning of the teamwork, which is so important under the modern conditions in Russia and is essentially for growth, improvement and success.Last June I humbly accepted the responsibilities of my club office. In doing so, I pledged to the members of my club my full cooperation as well as that of my fellow club officers irrespective my intense activities as an Education Department chief of our region.

Especially I would like to distinguish vice-president Leonid Plitman, club secretary Evgeny Grishchenko and club treasurer Evgeny Korobov. In turn, we ask members of the club for their total support,, help, loyalty, and, of great importance, attendance at all our meetings. I'm convinced that our club as a united group of public-spirited men, can provide a strong helping hand to our fellow citizens and community leaders. Our major service activities are school reform programme, kindergartens aid, "Lions Opportunities for Youth" programme, Youth Exchange and international relations.

Let us go forth and prove that the Lions club 'Kaliningrad-Central" is, indeed, a service club - a progressive force in our community. Let us demonstrate to everyone with whom we come in contact as Lions the beautiful truth in Lionism" s motto - "We serve"![b]Thank you.